The YAFO Institute has equipped 29 emerging leaders with critical skills in free-market economics, public policy, entrepreneurship, and community advocacy during the 2026 edition of its Liberty Sphere residential programme held on 23 and 24 September 2026.
The intensive two-day initiative targeted young entrepreneurs, university students, and journalists to cultivate critical thinking on individual freedom, prosperity, and evidence-based governance, while offering a framework to convert theoretical concepts into actionable solutions.
The curriculum spanned 13 comprehensive 90-minute lecture sessions addressing philosophy, institutional policy, economic structures, and nonprofit sustainability. Nathaniel Dwamena, President of the YAFO Institute, opened the event with a lecture titled “Understanding Objectivism: A Philosophy of Reason, Freedom, and Human Flourishing,” and later facilitated a discussion on “Beyond Welfarism: How Ghana’s Policy Principles Can Promote Opportunity, Free Enterprise and Individual Responsibility.”
Ebenezer Tackie Oblie, Executive Director of the Institute for New Policy Thinking, delivered presentations on “The Fundamentals of Public Policy: Principles, Institutions, and Liberty,” “Liberty-Centered Policy: Principles for Effective Policy Formulation,” and “Known Public Problems: Strategies for Practical Policy Implementation.”
Participants were exposed to practical business design and leadership dynamics by Prof. Enoch Opoku Antwi, Founder of the Enoch Servant Leadership Foundation and Dean at Academic City University, through sessions focusing on “Vision and Purpose: Building a Mission for Meaningful Impact,” “Building Businesses That Last: Strategy, Innovation, and Sustainable Growth,” and “From Mission to Sustainability: Business Development for Nonprofits.”
International perspectives and free-market theories were provided by Dr. Eamonn Butler of the Adam Smith Institute in the United Kingdom, who presented “Foundations of Free Market Economics: Markets, Incentives, and Human Action.” Additional global insights were offered by Li Schoolland on “Behind the Promise of Socialism: Lessons for the Future of Freedom in Ghana,” alongside Prof. Ken Schoolland of Liberty International, who delivered “Telling the Story of Freedom: The Case of Markets, Enterprise, and Property Rights.”
Research methodologies and environmental policy solutions were addressed by Dr. Albert Kobina Mensah, Research Scientist at the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and CEO of the AK Centre for Research & Further Studies. Dr. Mensah guided participants on “Evidence for Policy Change: Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Research in Advocacy” and “Research, Advocacy, and Policy Reform: Rethinking Ghana’s Response to Galamsey.”
Beyond the physical classroom, eight of the 13 lectures were live-streamed to broaden public engagement. The online broadcasts generated 249 recorded views on YouTube and 901 views on Facebook, creating an accessible digital repository of the proceedings.
The programme culminated in a practical application module where participants formed groups to design interventions for local community challenges. The proposals were contested during the Battleground Policy Pitch Competition at the Liberty Sphere Dinner & Awards, featuring a total cash prize pool of GHS 6,000.
The Divine Economy Team captured top honors with its “Freedom to Enterprise” proposal. The Jonathan Gullible Team finished as first runner-up with “The Waste Exchange,” while the John Galt Team secured second runner-up position with the “Informal Worker Pension Access Partnership.”
The YAFO Institute plans to track participant progression, policy proposals, research outputs, and entrepreneurial initiatives originating from the 2026 cohort to assess the long-term socioeconomic footprint of the Liberty Sphere network across the continent.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana